Wherever I was on Tuesday, 23 December 1969, I was in the wrong place. I should have been at the Hopbine, Wembley along with those fortunate enough to witness the sensational new Tubby Hayes Quartet. But 52 years later, all those who missed the gig can now experience eight dynamic performances that are a revelation on multiple levels.

All thanks to this two-CD set of long-lost recordings that cast fresh light on the career of one of the world’s finest tenor saxophonists. 1969 was a year when Edward ‘Tubby’ Hayes was emerging from a crisis in his life. But you’d never guess that from the sheer vitality of his playing that frequently evolves into a transcendental experience.

The Hayes arrangement ‘For Members Only’ creates excitement and intrigue as the quartet pause for reflection before hitting warp speed. Spike Wells’ drumming is a sheer delight, pianist Mick Pyne’s rhapsodic piano neatly complements the leader while Ron Mathewson’s warm-toned bass completes an exemplary rhythm section.

Tubby’s range of tones, trills and thrills is astonishing as he races into ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ complete with Wellsian drum breaks while an exultant ‘Mainly For Don’ has Tubby at his most joyful. ‘For Heaven’s Sake’ a tender ballad reveals the other side of the Hayes while Coltrane’s ‘Vierd Blues’ just swings before evolving into a galloping version of ‘Walkin’’.

Tubby bids good night to an audience who cheer a jazz supergroup that deserved to be headlining at a major rock festival earning rather more than the £25 they got for the gig.